Lifetime Love
by LilliahIah
Summary: Following Smellerbee (Nika) and Longshot (Marc) from their youth to post war. Rated M for violence and sexual content.
1. Chapter 1

"Run! Now! Keep going!" my father shouted behind me.

I ran up to my mother and she grabbed my wrist while we ran. We stopped behind a tree and she held my shoulders. "Keep running, Nika. Don't let them take you."

I nodded before running towards our house.

The town blew up in flames and smoke right before my eyes. I quickly got down as low to the ground as I could without being on my hands and knees. Shuffling my feet, I shifted across the ground and behind my house. I saw my father on the ground with blood pooling out of his mouth, burns stretching up his neck, reaching one of his ears. Tears burned behind my eyes.

Crouching beside him, I took his dagger that was sheathed at his hip. The hilt was wrapped in turtle-duck fluff with two pieces of the shell tied on with twine. I gripped the dagger before I noticed a soldier running at me. Lunging forward, I sliced through his left leg before whipping around and leaping onto his back, slicing the blade across his throat. We both landed with a thud, but only I got up. I looked back at my father's dead body a moment longer before running off to the edge of the village.

I mostly snuck, taking down a few guards as I did before an arm reached out and grabbed mine from behind. The hand was burning into my skin and I screamed out. I was pulled back by my hair while more hands held back my arms. I struggled against the grip but that only spread the searing burning across my arms. Most of the village's flames were gone, and all of the villagers were.

The first hand let go of my hair, or what was left of it, while I was thrown against a tree. Fire nation soldiers circled around me. "What do we do with her general?"

"We take her back and see how much she can fight for us."

Some of the soldiers smiled while others shrugged. Two soldiers creeped towards me before slamming me against the tree while others bound me there with ropes.

"You all deserve to burn in your own flames!" I shouted at them. A hand smacked across my face with brute force. The skin on my cheek split open and blood oozed out, draining out and down my face. "What was that?!" I taunted. Maybe if I challenged them to a fight, I'd be able to make a run for it.

"A warning," he muttered.

I shrank towards the tree while the soldiers walked away. The ropes dug into the open burns on my arms and blood seeped through them. They all sat around a fire and ate food as the sun slowly set. My body was shaking from the pain and I started to see my vision blur. My head bobbed down before I would jerk it back to an attention spot every now and then. I began gasping for some of my breaths.

Most of the soldiers traveled into their tents to rest while few stayed out and watched camp before they too eventually left. I stood, slightly above the ground, with my head hanging low. A whistle blew out softly above my head in other trees before about four or five kids jumped down from the trees. One landed in front of me.

He looked to be about nine or ten with dark brown hair and his eyes glinted brown with green specks. He was small but stood taller than me by a lot, even though I was only about a year younger than him. He had a long tunic on with pants, but he seemed to have a farmer's hat tied around his neck and a read shawl over his shoulders.

I struggled, trying to move away from him and closer to the tree. He shook his head and looked around. "They took my weapon, dummy. Get out of here!" I whispered softly under my breath, using what was left of it. He shook his head and dug through a bag before pulling out my father's dagger. I thrashed towards him, cutting deeper into my burns. I almost cried out before he covered my mouth with his hand.

When I stopped, he continued cutting the ropes away. Shouts had erupted from behind us at this point. "Get...get out of here…" I breathed out before the last rope snapped away. I fell forward into his arms before noticing the short bow on his back. Cries echoed around us as he pulled out his bow, and with me leaning on him he knocked an arrow on the string. I heard a soft '_thwang'_ as the arrow left the string.

I slipped out of his arms and took the dagger from the ground. I gasped for breath before walking around the tree and half leaping half falling onto two or three soldiers and slitting their throats. My arms and ribs screamed in agony as I moved. My vision blurred, but I could see the remaining soldiers fleeing the camp, but only the boy and I remained standing.

Even that didn't last long. One of the soldiers had sent fire across my stomach, leaving a large burn across it; while another had left a gash on my right leg from my knee to the middle of my thigh. I was panting heavily, gripping the blade in one hand, my side in the other. I fell to my knees and felt the boy's arms around me.

His eyes burned into me and I shrugged. "You...you don't...talk much. Do you?"

He shook his head as mine bobbed back and forth before I blacked out, collapsing in his arms.

He carried her back to the treehouses, struggling to hold onto her as they flew up into the branches. Jet stood, perched on a branch as he ran towards him. "Longshot!" Jet called out before he saw the girl. "Who's he?" Jet muttered.

He gave Jet a glare before holding her closer. Her breathing was becoming shorter and shallower.

"Hey man, only you have medical experience." Jet shrugged. "Take her to your hut. Keep an eye on him okay?"

Longshot was already running, carrying her, to his hut. He pushed himself and the girl through the cloth flap before lying her on his sleeping mat. Quickly, he grabbed the leaves used to treat burns. Chewing them until they were like a slimy pulp, he then spit them out onto his hands and spread the pulp across the major burn on her stomach. After wrapping the bandages around her waist up to the bottom of her ribs, he looked at the tattered cloth that was her shirt.

Hesitantly, he lifted it up and over her head. He grabbed his spare undershirt and drew it over her head, dragging it over her torso. It was absolutely too long for her but it was better than tatters. Especially this winter.

He bandaged her shoulders and arms, covering the torn flesh. He shifted so his back was to her as he wrapped her right leg. Once he was finished, he darted out and grabbed a bowl from the kitchen hut, filling it with some of the water in his canteen. When he got back, she was still lying there, but he noticed her torso rising and falling with each breath.

He walked towards her, sitting next to her. Grabbing her old, tattered cloths he started washing the dirt and grime from her face. As he moved the cloth under her eyes, she started shifting.


	2. Chapter 2

My eyes fluttered open before I felt my head pounding. I moaned a bit while holding my hand to my forehead. The boy from the camp was looming over me with a wet rag, his eyes burned into me before he moved and grabbed a canteen.

Holding it out to me, his eyes seemed to demand 'Drink.' I shook my head and tried to sit up. My stomach exploded in pain. I cried out before I felt his hands on me. One rested behind my back while the other, still gripping the canteen, rested under my chin.

He leaned me back down before offering me the canteen again. I glared at him as I shrugged and nodded. "Fine…" my voice came out shaky and hoarse as he tilted my head back and poured the water. I drank it greatfully before taking it from him and finishing off the canteen.

He smiled a soft, little smile that was only slightly noticeable. I went to sit up again until he put a hand on my chest. "I need to find my father...my mom…" He shook his head slightly and all of the earlier events flooded back to me. I almost threw up, but I held it back, along with my tears.

I had lied back down at this point and was on one side. His hand was resting on my shoulder before he raked his fingers lightly through my hair. It was burnt and choppy, few of the longer locks were still there.

My dad's dagger was on the ground a ways away from me. I reached out towards it, shocked when the boy snatched it up. "Give that back!" I snapped, a pang of pain echoing through my bones. I gritted my teeth and felt my body shudder. "I mean it…" I gasped out when he gently grabbed my arm, leading me to make my back face him.

He gathered my hair up in his small fist before dragging the dagger down, cutting most of the length off. He worked on my hair for a while before finally handing me the dagger, holding the hilt out to me with the blade in his hand.

I slid it out of his hand before holding it to my chest. I was mostly leaning on him as I sat with my legs crossed on the ground. I turned to look at him, sliding the dagger into the sheath at my hip. "What's your name?" I whispered.

He looked at me and shook his head before looking at me.

"I asked you first." I muttered.

He shrugged before nodding to the bow.

"Archer?"

He shook his head with that small smile he had earlier.

"LONGSHOT!" another boy's voice echoed through the small hut making me jump. I was mostly behind the kid inside with me. Another boy stepped into the doorway and looked in at me. "Oh, look who's awake. Hey man, how's it going? You feeling okay?"

I glared at the older boy in the doorway before lightly shrugging. The older boy looked at the boy in front of me. "Longshot, it's almost dinner time." he said before leaning against the frame. Longshot sat in front of me still, but he was completely relaxed. "I'll tell the others that you were busy and you'll get your own food."

The older boy looked back at me. "Listen kid, I'm Jet. Leader of the freedom fighters. When you're up for it, you can show me your stuff." He smiled before walking away.

I looked at Longshot. "So...Longshot huh?" he turned around and smiled at me. I smiled back before flinching as my stomach growled. He chuckled, and I was shocked at how low his voice was for such a young age. I blushed before lightly pushing him.

He grabbed my hand and helped me stand up. I stumbled around for a minute before falling back onto him. He wrapped his arms around me and helped me to where we'd be eating. I saw so many kids, swinging and flying through the trees.

Even though there wasn't a flake of snow, the chill of winter crawled up my spine and I shivered. Longshot pulled me closer. He gave me a questioning look. 'Why are you so cold?'

"Because it's cold!"

'Or you're just weird.'

"Shut up," I joked pushing him lightly.

'I haven't said one word?' a smile spread across his face

"Don't be a smartass…" I whispered.

He chuckled again before looking back at me. 'So what's your name?'

"Oh...right…" I didn't want to hear my real name again. Not since my parents were gone. I remembered a point where my dad and I were hunting in the woods…

"_Come on, Nika!" my dad called out in front of me, urging me through the thick leaves. _

_I trudged through the ground before falling face first in a pile of leaves. I cried out as something got stuck in my nose. "Hold on!" my dad said softly as he jogged towards me. He picked me up and smiled, laughing hysterically. "You have a bee in your nose!"_

_I smiled with him as I sneezed the bee out. "Bee's smell weird…" I giggled._

_My dad ruffled my hair, laughing, "You're such a bee sniffer! My little Smellerbee…"_

"Smellerbee," I said softly.

'Told you that you were weird'

I smiled and shrugged. We reached a small, open space. Cushions were lied out around a table. Longshot lead me to a spot where we both sat. A few other kids were around us, waiting too.

Jet walked out and sat beside Longshot as others brought out food, spreading it out along the table. "Hey man," Jet said smiling at me. I felt myself boil with anger. Why couldn't he tell that I was a girl? Oh well… Longshot seemed to know, and besides, now they wouldn't underestimate me.

I shrugged.

"Come on! You gotta have something to say? Longshot's the only silent one around here. Ain't that right buddy?" Jet clapped a hand on Longshot's shoulder laughing before he stood up on the table with a cup in his hand.

As he made his speech, Longshot looked at me.

"I don't care if he doesn't know I'm a girl. It's not that big of a deal…" I muttered softly.

Longshot nodded 'I know that you are though….'

I shrugged, "Then it's our little unimportant secret."

We both smiled and he nodded. Jet turned to me. "So what's your name?"

"Smellerbee," I said softly.

"Would you like to be a freedom fighter, Smellerbee?" Jet smiled, "We could use a guy like you. Strong enough to walk with a high head, and Longshot rarely fights with someone he doesn't know."

I looked at the ground and thought it over for a minute before nodding. "I want to fight with you."

Jet smiled and held his cup high. "Everyone welcome Smellerbee! A brave kid just like the rest of us, ready to fight our best to end this war!"

The kids around us cheered, hooped, and hollered. Once Jet sat back down he looked at Longshot and I. "You two are gonna have to share a hut you know?" he said.

I shrugged, "I think I can share a room with the guy who saved my life." I smiled and nudged him. "If it's alright with you."

'Of course'

"Alright! It's settled," I smiled and took a sip from my own cup.

"You understand him?" Jet questioned. "So far I've been the closest we've gotten."

"It seems to me that he's speaking loud and clear." I grinned and we all ate.


End file.
